Charles lemon



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAQLES LEMON, OF WVASHINGTON, DlSTRIOT OF COLUMBIA.

BOOKBINDERS CLOTH-CUTTING TABLE.

Spccilication forming part ol' Letters Patent No. 45,620. dated Decenlbi r .'27, 1864.

In all 'whom 'it may concern Be itknown that I, CHARLEs LEMON, ofthe city and county ot' Washington, in the Dis trict ot' Columbia, have invented a certain new and useful improvement, being a Book-Bind ers Cloth-Cutting Table; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part 5 of the same, and in which- Figure. 1 represents a view in perspective ot the cutting-table with its appendages, showing a piece of cloth in the position it occupies when undergoing the operation of being cut into strips suitable for book-covers. Fig. 2 represents a transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal section of the clamping and drawing roller, the red lines showing the cloth clamped and wound upon the roller after it has been cut into strips. Fig. et represents a transverse section of the same at the line x a'. Fig. 5 represents a longitudinal section of the same with one part ot' the roller removed, by which means the cloth can be taken from the roller after it has been cut. Fig. 6 represents a transverse section of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 represents a View in perspective ot the cutter and its adjustingframe detached from the table.

ln the trade heretofore the operation otl cut-i ting covers for books has been performed by hand, by means of a knife and pattern-board,

and this mode is necessarily slow and inconi venient in handling the cloth, by reason ot' its being in rolls and requiring to be kept straight while being cut, and then only one strip or pattern can be cut at a time.

rlhe objectot' my invention is to cut an entire roll of cloth into strips for any given'sined covers at one and the same operation, and to leave the strips so cut in rolls for convenient handling in the subsequent operation ot' simply cutting the strips into covers.

The machine consists of a table, A, of an oblong shape and oi' suitable size. On the left side of this table is tted in brackets c a small roller or iron rod, b, which holds the cloth to be cut, and on the right side is also i mounted in brackets d rl a clamping and receivin g roller, B, by which the cloth is drawn forward to the knives, and on which it is wound as it is cut. Both of these rollers are mounted in their brackets a suitable distance Y below the top of the table, and the right one, H, is also placed a suitable distance from the frame, so that the cloth to be out shall be presented to the knives at an angle as it leaves the table, and also to leave a space for the knives which are located between the table and the receiving-roller. rlhis roller B is made in two parts, e e', each tapering longitudinally, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5, for the purpose of receiving the ends of the cloth to be cnt between the adjacent sides of the two parts, so that when the two parts are locked together, as shown in Fig. 1, the cloth will be clamped fast to the roller, so that when revolved it forms a drawing and winding roller. The two parts of this roller are locked together at their ends by means ot' rings yi t', which can be easily removed to allow the cloth to be taken ot'f when cut. The object ot' tapering the two parts e e of the roller longitudinally will be described hereinafter.

The right side of the table is provided with a groove, m, into which is fitted a knife-stock, O, `so that it can be adjusted along the groove, and clamped by means ot' a thumb-screw, a, to the under side ot' the table, a tongue, o, of the stock, entering the groove m, and a similar tongue, s, receiving the thumb-screw n beneath the table, as shown in Fig. 2. A similar tongue, t, projects from the opposite side of the stock to form a seat for the knife D, and in which its shank may be adj usted vertieall y and clamped by a screw, u, so that its blade, the cuttingedge of which is next to the table and but a slight distance from it, may be raised or lowered as it gets dull, or removed from its seat to be sharpened.

rlhe particular shape and st-ructure of the knife-stock is shown inthe detached view, Fig. 7, and is made adjustable in the groove of the table, so as to adapt the cutter to the required width ot' t-he strip to be cut.

The clanlping and drawing roller is tit-ted with a crank-handle, E, by which the operator performs the operation of cutting with one hand while with the other he holds the cloth to be cut to the table and against a guide, F, tixed upon the end of the table, as shown in Fig. 1.

The operation is very simple. The roll of cloth to be out is placed upon the iron rod or roller b by simply passing the rod through thc central opening in the cloth and then placing the rod in its supportingbackets. The end ot the piece of cloth is then unrolled and drawn upon the table and slits cut in it the exact size of the strips to be cut by the knives. The two sections of the drawingroller are then separated by removing the claml'iing-rings i 1', and the slitted end ot' the piece ot" cloth is placed upon the iiat side of one ofthe sections and clamped by placing the correspondingy tlat side of the other section over it and securing the two by again placing the clasp-rings t' over their ends, and the two tapering sections, thus locked together, present a true cylindrical. form. The knives, having` been previously adjusted, are placed in the slits already out by drawing the cloth over them, sotha-t at the commenceiniut ot' the operation the drawing-roller B will occupy the relative position to the knives s own in Fig. 2, the pattern slits, therefore,

7being only long enough to allow 'the cloth. to

be clamped to the drawing roller and to receive the knives which project through the slits and above the cloth, as shown in Fig; l. rI'he operator then with his right hand revolves the crank-handle of the drawing-roller, and with his left hand resting'upon the cloth on the table holds it against the guide F, and the entire piece is Athus drawn rapidly against the knives, and as fast as it is cut each strip is wound upon the roller, the same as ifit had not been cnt. In thus drawing the cloth rapidly to the knives it is liable to spring up from the table in front ot' the knives by reason of its stiffness, and to prevent this I place a rod, Gr, by securing its ends in eyes to the top of the table, over the cloth and in front of the knives, so that the cloth is held even upon the table and prevented from tlying up above the knives.

The cloth having been cut into strips and wound upon t-he roller B, which is cylindrical, some means must be devised by which it can be r( moved in rolls-that is to say, without i having tounroll cach strip from the roller. To accomplish this, therefore, is'the object ot' constructing the drawing and receiving roller in two parts, tapering longitudinally, so that either of them may be withdrawn by simply removing the clamping-rings gi and pushing either part out endwise, and thus atthe same time unclamping the ends ofthe cloth. Thus it will be seen the removal ot' one section of the cylinder leaves the cloth as free to be removed as though it had not been wound upon the surface of the cylinder. Before the parts ot the roller are separated, however, it is removed frein its brackets and placed upon the table, the rolls havingbeen previously tied with a string, and the rolls are thus taken oft in a condition ready for the operation of being cut into patterns.

I have represented two knives, but it is obvious any number may be used, as desired, andv they may be adjusted at equal or unequal distances apart, accoading to the patterns to be cut.

Having thus described my improvement, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the drawing and re ceiving roller B with the knives D and table A, in the manner and for the purpose described.

2. Constructing the'drawiang and receiving roller B in two tapering parts, c e', in the manner and for the purpose described.

3. Mounting the knives upon stocks con structed in sucha manner as to he clamped to the front edge of the table and adjusted in the manner described and shown.

lin testimony whereof Ihave hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnessesr CHARLES LEMON.

Vitnesses:

A. E. H. JOHNSON. J. H. JOHNSON. 

